EpandMedia is an independent media production company specializing in political, advocacy and public issue advertising for television, radio and the web.

Based in New York City, EpandMedia provides ad agencies, political consultants and corporations with award-winning, creative writing and direction, and commercial quality production services. The company’s work is credited with helping its agency clients win elections, influence legislation, improve public images and change public opinion on key issues. Its notable campaigns or clients include: Bloomberg for Mayor 2001 and 2005, Blagojevich for Governor of Illinois 2002 and 2006, Lieberman for Senate 2006, Gore-Lieberman 2000, Kerry-Edwards 2004, the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Healthcare Education Project, the Service Employees International Union, the Communications Workers of America, the United States Telecom Association, Fannie Mae and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

EpandMedia’s reputation for producing effective work in all budget ranges is reflected in its winning of several “Pollie Awards” from the American Association of Political Consultants.

EpandMedia was conceived in 2001 as a subsidiary of commercials and music video production house Flashframe Films, among the MTV era’s leading, cutting-edge producers of rock, R&B and country music videos.

“It’s clear our contemporary and sometimes iconoclastic pop sensibilities help our advertising work,” explains EpandMedia and Flashframe Films founder and president, director/producer Len Epand.
Epand founded Flashframe in early 1989 after years of running music video for PolyGram Records in LA and New York through the 1980s, and from 1992-1995 for Arista Records in New York. During these years he created videos or TV specials for some of the most renowned pop, rock, R&B and country music stars of the era. Epand was nominated for a Best Producer Grammy award and has won countless MTV, Academy of Country Music and CMA Awards for his music video work, two NAACP Image Award nominations and earned dozens of multi-Platinum, Platinum and Gold recording and video sales awards.

In 2000, galvanized by the importance of the developing presidential campaign, Epand agreed to join Vice President Al Gore’s ad team at the prestigious Washington, D.C. ad agency Squire Knapp Dunn Communications (SKDC). Epand moved to D.C. and for six months produced ads for consultant/director Marius Penczner, directed and/or produced some 18 films for the 2000 Democratic Convention (where he helped with Gore’s acceptance speech prep), directed the debut TV ad for the Gore-Lieberman campaign, and worked with agency head Bill Knapp to create some 65 radio ads for Gore-Lieberman and the DNC.

Epand formed EpandMedia to build on that political work. In 2001, SKDC established EpandMedia as production headquarters for the Bloomberg for Mayor of NYC campaign. The company expanded its midtown New York offices to include state-of-the-art audio recording and mixing and video editing studios. It also developed an innovative all digital media research department utilized by Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 2005 re-election campaign.

The shift from entertainment to political advertising was natural for Epand. Even while studying literature and film at the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the late 1960s/early 1970s, Epand was politically active, and wrote about politics for UW’s paper “the Daily Cardinal.” A longtime pop music fan and guitarist, Epand’s turn into entertainment began in 1974 when a music magazine appointed Epand its West Coast editor and moved him to Hollywood. He continued writing about pop music for Rolling Stone, the “Los Angeles Times,” and others, and co-authored the music business guide “Making It with Music” (HarperCollins, 1978) with country-pop superstar Kenny Rogers. In 1976 PolyGram Records hired Epand to run West Coast Publicity and in 1981 relocated him to New York as its VP Publicity. It was his ancillary assignment that ultimately subsumed his career: To head music video production, the nascent form Epand and a handful of others were pioneering in LA and London. As MTV took off in the early ‘80s Epand was appointed Sr. VP Video Production. Epand also initiated the modern business of music video long forms, launching home video and music TV production division PolyGram Music Video (PMV). In 1989, as his next natural career move, Epand set up his own production company, Flashframe Films. It ended up forming the basis for his evolution into political advertising.

“The opportunity to work in political and advocacy advertising was liberating,” Epand remembers. “It brought me back to issues impacting peoples’ lives. To the extent that I can contribute and hopefully elevate the debate in this country is its own reward.”